Book Two: Unwanted Surprises
by Kariko
Summary: Temari has been sick as hell lately. A trip to Konoha reveals that she is carrying a baby. Can she deal with this reminder of her time spent with Itachi? ItachixTemarixShikamaru
1. The Sickness

**Chapter One:  
The Sickness That Started It All**

**Summary: Temari has been sick as hell lately. A trip to Konoha reveals that she is carrying a baby boy. Can she deal with this reminder of her time spent with Itachi?**

**Disclaimer: I don't have time to inform you that I don't own Naruto!**

You took my heart. . .  
Decieved me right from the start.  
–Within Temptation, "Angel"

Things were supposed to be right, now. They were supposed to be perfect, and nothing was supposed to ruin it. Gaara had been captured by the Akatsuki right after Temari had found her own way back home. They were so lucky he was back alive thanks to Naruto and their grandmother, Chiyo, who had given her own life to bring the Kazekage back from the dead.

But now, once they were home, Temari found herself extremely prone to sickness. Especially in the mornings. She didn't feel like eating, or if she did it was something out of the ordinary. Curry flavored rice balls were probably the prime example of it all. The dessert happened to be ice cream flavored rice balls.

Despite all this, Temari did her best to do even the simplest missions. She was now a jounin and had to do her part for the village. Even if she was sick half the time. Most of her symptoms involved throwing up, headaches, vomiting, fatigue, barfing uncontrollably, cramps, puking, becoming irritable or agitated, followed by some more throwing up.

Now, she was lying in the grass because Gaara was concerned about her health and refused to let her go on another mission until she healed. He asked her if she knew what could cause these symptoms, but Temari didn't have a clue. It would've been easier to jump off a high bride and plunge to her death than answer this question. Temari knew simple healing jutsus, but she was a fighter; not a healer or doctor. Therefore, she really didn't bother knowing too much about sicknesses.

Yeah. Leave that to people like Tsunade.

Temari was feeling a bit better now that she wasn't standing or moving. In fact, she was doing what Shikamaru was usually found accomplishing: gazing at the clouds wishing she could be one. Floating away in the breeze doing nothing. Absolutely nothing. She sure hoped the sickness wouldn't make his laziness rub off on her.

Soon, Temari got very bored. That was the problem with her being sick and Gaara not letting her venture anywhere. She _needed_ to go places and see to people. Not just sit here wishing she could be a cloud. Rolling over, Temari felt her sickness kick in again. So that was why she wasn't moving at all.

"I can't stand this. . ." Temari groaned, her hands on her stomach. "Why won't it go away!"

Carefully, she stood up. Her mouth started to get warm and salivate, the first signs that she was about to throw up. Temari doubled over and the pain temporarily went away. If only she could survive for a couple more minutes. She could go to Gaara and at least _try _to convince him she wasn't as sick as he made it out to be.

Can you believe her? Most people would give anything to have a sick day!

Slowly, she made her way into the Kazekage's office. Kankuro was standing at Gaara's desk and they both looked up at her. "Hey, Gaara." she said sheepishly as she walked to his desk. "Whatcha guys doing?"

Gaara sighed, but answered her question reluctantly. "I was just asking Kankuro here to deliver a scroll to Konoha. Alone." he put emphasis on the last word.

"Alone? Well, I should go with him!" she said happily. "I've been feeling so cooped up lately. I just can't stand it! C'mon, Kankuro!" she locked arms with her brother who looked pretty confused at the moment.

"You're not going, Temari." Gaara declared. "You're ill." he said as if that statement decided everything in the world.

"But it's just a quick trip to Konoha! I'll be fine."

"It's a long walk there and you need bed rest. You're not going, Temari." he said again simply, folding his hands in his lap. But his older sister wasn't going to give up without a fight.

"I'll take a horse! Please, Gaara! _Anything_ to get out of here for just a while!" Temari decided not to look so desperate by getting down on her hands and knees. But she had thought about it for a moment. "Not to mention, Tsunade and Sakura are excellent with medical jutsus! Maybe they could find the problem. Or maybe even cure me!" Temari wasn't normally so optimistic, but this was the only way to convince Gaara.

"Actually, Gaara. That's not a bad idea." Kankuro piped up nervously.

Temari thought. With Kankuro taking her side, chances of Gaara agreeing had just gone up even more.

Gaara glared at the both of them for a while. Finally, he sighed, nodded his head and said: "You guys are right. Temari, go to Tsunade once you get there. Tell her all about your sickness and make sure you leave Konoha knowing exactly why this has been happening to you."

Temari resisted jumping three feet in the air and hugging the crap out of her brother. Mostly because she was still feeling queasy and would probably throw up all over him if she tried.

Kankuro finally retrieved the scroll and the two were on their way.

"Thanks for taking my side back there. If you didn't I thought Gaara would never let me out of Suna again." Temari laughed.

"What are little brothers for?" Kankuro stated, rubbing her blonde hair slightly. "I know how you always need to go places."

Temari found herself a large, auburn colored horse and the two were finally headed to Konoha.

Right before they showed up at the gates, Temari was beginning to realize why Gaara was keeping her in Suna. During the trip she had to take a rest stop and throw up. . . three times. Her headache kept her from concentrating and she could've sworn that Kankuro had gotten more annoying in the past few hours. This could quite possibly compare to being cooped up in Suna.

"I just wanna get to Tsunade and find out what the hell's wrong with me." Temari felt even worse now that she no longer had a ride on the horse. The Hokage allowed pigs in her office, but God forbid she let another farm animal in that place. The ride was slightly bumpy, but her legs were achy and she didn't feel like walking. "If she cures me I'm gonna try and find Shikamaru and bug him." even when she felt terrible, Temari couldn't help but bring the comic relief by putting images in her head of her torturing the Chuunin.

When they arrived at the office, Tsunade felt a wave of relief wash over her. She was finally about to know the source of her sickness. One could only _imagine_ to joy she felt. Temari had been sick for weeks!

Kankuro handed the scroll to the Hokage, who merely thanked him and put it away in a drawer. He then whispered something to her. Tsunade shot Temari a look and raised a blonde eyebrow. Perhaps this was common in Konoha and she knew exactly what was wrong.

Honey, you don't know how common the cause of your sickness truly is. Yet.

"Come with me, Temari. You too, Kankuro." Tsunade said to the both of them as she stood up and walked out of the office. Kankuro and Temari were right at her heels. But Temari sensed that she wasn't going to like this. . .

"What are you going to do?" Temari asked curiously when they arrived at the hospital.

"Stay there, please." she ordered Kankuro as she and Temari went further into the hospital. This only made Temari even more nervous.

"Oh, I'm just going to run a test." Tsunade stated. "To see if I'm right." Tsunade looked through a shelf of liquids, but her arm was blocking the labels.

Temari gulped. She hoped Tsunade would give her an answer to this question that wouldn't make her scream in horror. Or stop breathing. One of those two. "What kind of test?" she asked nervously.

The Hokage looked over at her, and scanned her body. She seemed surprised that Temari was asking her this question. "Isn't it obvious Temari? A pregnancy test."

The poor kunoichi thought she was going to have a heart attack. "I _can't _be pregnant!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "I haven't even done it with anybody! So I couldn't possibly. . ."

A picture of Itachi flashed in her mind, a bold smirk on his face.

The next time Temari saw him, she would definitely get her revenge. The Uchiha bastard was _not _going to get away with this if she turned out to be. . .

'Pregnant'. The word sounded so vile that Temari couldn't bring herself to say it. The worst part was. . . he was haunting her again. If she was carrying a child, he was the only possible father. But the child. . . what would she possibly do with a child? More importantly, was she even going to be able to look at it?

Temari snapped out of her trance when Tsunade waved a pale hand in front of her face. "I'm guessing you are now aware of who the father is?"

Oh, she's aware, all right.

Temari fell to her knees. She felt sick again. To the point where she thought she wouldn't be able to muster up enough energy to return home.

During the test, Tsunade stuck a tiny needle into Temari's arm. She then put a few drops into the little vial of liquid. "This liquid will tell you if you're pregnant. If it turns blue, you're safe. But if it comes out yellow. . ." Tsunade shook her head. "I'm sorry Temari. I'll have to run another test to see how far you are if it turns yellow. It'll. . . take a couple minutes. I'll be right back."

Temari's eyes squeezed shut. She didn't want to deal with this. She wished she could just go back in time and slap the Uchiha the minute he even suggested sex.

You tried that, Temari. You tried that.

When Tsunade came back in the room, Temari still had her eyes closed. "Don't you want to see it?" Tsunade told her.

"Nope." Temari stated. "I sure don't."

"Alright, then." she could hear the container being picked up and Tsunade walking out of the room.

"Wait! Don't go!" Temari yelled after Tsunade.

The Hokage turned around, the tiny vial clutched in her hand. Temari stared in horror at the color inside of it. . .

Yellow. That damn liquid just had to turn yellow.

Sorry, Temari! I don't like torturing you! ;) Too much. Enjoy the next chapter. Kiss, Kiss!

Previews:

"I believe Temari should stay here so that I may keep an eye on her." Tsunade told Kankuro. "She isn't very mentally stable at the moment."

Temari didn't want to go back to sleep. She knew she would have another nightmare about the Uchiha.

Out of nowhere, Shikamaru felt himself being bear hugged by Temari. "You're so dense." she giggled.


	2. Shikamaru to the Rescue?

**Book Two: Unwanted Surprises**

**Chapter Two:  
****Shikamaru to the Rescue?**

**In this chapter, expect a brief appearance from Itachi. Sort of. I didn't want him to be completely gone from Book Two, seeing as he is the cause of all this. ;)**

**Disclaimer: Do we really have to go through with this again? I. Don't. Own. It.**

Slowly, Temari made her way over to the hospital bed. There, she collapsed onto her back and grabbed the pillow. She sat up and held it close to her chest while rocking slightly back and forth. Tsunade walked over to her and sat beside her.

"This was obviously unexpected I guess." she assumed. "Do you wanna tell me about it?" Tsunade pat Temari on the back, and she stopped rocking. She was stronger than that, dammit. "Was it. . ." Tsunade wondered if she should go there, but she took the chance. "Was it somebody from the Akatsuki? They're criminals but. . . did any of them—?" She figured the question was self-explanatory.

"Well, I wouldn't call it rape. Not exactly." Temari mused. "I lost my memory, and one of them took advantage of that. As soon as my memories returned, I fled. But I guess he'd already left his mark."

"Do you remember which one it was?" Tsunade asked.

"Heh." a little smirk appeared on Temari's face as she remembered all the 'battles' and rivalries she had with the one that had kidnaped her in the first place and held her captive. She had been very good with holding her own and by fleeing she won the battle, but it was only fair to say that he had won the war in the end. If she ever saw him again, she'd make sure he would pay dearly and she would triumph that time. "That stupid Uchiha."

Tsunade's eyes widened. One might think they were going to pop out of her head. "You mean it was. . .?"

"That's right. Itachi." Temari nodded. "And the next time I see him I'll—"

"No." Tsunade interrupted. "I doubt you'll ever see him again, so you might as well keep all of those thoughts out of your head. I know I'd want revenge, but I don't think it'll make a difference now."

A pause came from Temari. But only for a moment before she asked the inevitable question. "Heh. I wonder how Gaara will react. I know Kankuro will be shocked for sure."

"Excuse me." Tsunade mumbled under her breath. It was clear that Temari had to stay in one place for now with supervision. Lots of it so she wouldn't go insane. She decided it would be a nice 'mission' for one of the Chuunin. The hard part would be informing her brother, expecting her to just leave her here in Konoha. Later on, though, she'd have to deal with Gaara. Who had to be at the very least a thousand times worse.

Reluctantly, Tsunade made her way into the hallway, where Kankuro had been standing against his will. It was clear that he wanted to be with his sister. "Well?" he inquired. "Is she alright?"

"Temari is pregnant." Tsunade waited for the shock to pass before she continued talking to him. "I believe Temari should stay here so that I may keep an eye on her. She isn't very mentally stable at the moment."

Kankuro raised an eyebrow. "And what do you mean by that?" he asked her. "Is she just shocked or something? Why can't she just come home! That _would_ be the best place for her!"

Tsunade shook her head at the poor boy. "She is no longer in any condition to travel that long road back to Suna. She made it here in one piece, but I can tell she's falling apart. It's best for her to stay in the hospital until she's had the child. I can have one of my Chuunin keep an eye on her for the next few months. Don't worry about that. What you _should_ be worrying about is going home and telling the Kazekage." she plopped a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck, Kankuro." And with a nod and a wave goodbye, she walked him to the door.

Kankuro suddenly felt a wave of horror wash over him. Gaara definitely not going to be too happy about this. . .

At her office, Tsunade looked out the window, then went back to looking at the Chuunin profiles. Who wasn't busy with missions at the moment? Were any of them even the slightest bit attached to Temari to the point where they wouldn't mind watching her until she gave birth? Naruto would probably do an excellent job.

Aside from the fact that he just might drive Temari completely bonkers. Especially with all those hormones flying around in there.

Tsunade was just about to give up until the morning came. But she couldn't risk Temari doing something stupid in the middle of the night. She needed a bodyguard A.S.A.P. Suddenly, Tsunade felt a sneeze coming on. Unfortunately (or should we say, fortunately. . .) She forgot to cover her mouth and the photos went flying everywhere. The Hokage managed to catch them all, which was a miraculous feat considering she was drunk off sake.

She looked down at some of the photos that were scattered about due to her sneeze. And there was the Chuunin she had been looking for.

Dark, passive brown eyes stared back at her with a tan face and a black-haired ponytail to match. It was none other than the face of the laziest Chuunin in Konoha.

Cue the cheesy hero music, folks! Shikamaru Nara is here to save the day!

"I suppose that's my best choice. I'd better inform him of his mission." Tsunade said something to her assistant, Shizune, who nodded and walked off to tell the Nara family.

Back at the hospital, the days events were starting to wear down on Temari. She had been getting sleepier by the second and her sickness had worn off slightly now that she was lying in a comfortable bed. The blonde was comfortable enough to let sleep take over, and it was quite a relief. Until her mind started playing nasty little games.

There she was. . . back at the Akatsuki hideout with her worst nightmare. Except this time they weren't in the bathroom. They were in the room Temari resided in during the time she was forced to reside there and found out Itachi Uchiha could be in ten place at once.

But at the moment, he was standing in front of her and the only good thing she could pick out about this scene was the fact that he wasn't facing her. He was turned the other way and seemed to be deep in thought. Not that she could exactly tell. . .

Temari tried to step forward. Why, she didn't know. Normally, she'd press herself up against the wall hoping he'd go away. That would be awesome if he did.

Or it would also be even _more_ awesome if he turned around and started doing the Cha Cha Slide!

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Itachi faced her. His Akatsuki cloak was unbuttoned and he was only wearing a net top with the standard shinobi pants. His eyes were Sharingan, which pierced into her teal eyes with great intensity. Even in dream world he was the most beautiful yet intimidating human being ever. It startled Temari when he started moving closer to her, and this was when she started to back up into the wall.

Not a very smart move. Now she was cornered and Itachi's hands were flat against the wall, his arms on either side of her head. His face moved closer to hers ever so slightly. "You're starting to bore me, Temari. You don't really fight back anymore."

Temari thought in her head. She decided a nice little knee to the crotch was the best way to go since her fan was apparently not there. 

Unfortunately, there was one little problem with this plan. . .

Temari couldn't move. At all.

"What 's the matter?" Itachi mocked. "Disappointed that you can't escape? That you can't fight back any longer?"

Temari let a low growl escape her throat. This was her dream! He shouldn't be the one controlling her mind! Even though he had done so not long ago. With the Sharingan. . . allowing her to believe his lies when her memories had temporarily fled. "You're the worst." was all Temari could muster without completely flying off the handle. But it seemed to get her point across okay. The Uchiha was still smirking. "You knew, didn't you?"

Itachi shrugged. "I suppose." he said nonchalantly, which pissed her off even more. "You ran off before I had time to tell you."

Temari squirmed as he tried to wrap his arms around her waist. "Get away from me! You are _the_ most despicable creature on the face on the planet! No, stop that!" she was losing her temper at the fact that she couldn't swat his arms away, squirm, kick, or basically cause any physical pain. All she could do was yell, and that sure as hell wasn't going to stop the Uchiha.

"Temari. . ." he said in a soft voice that didn't sound like him. "Temari, wake up." he suddenly put his arms on her shoulders and gently shook her. Okay, this was getting really freaky. Until she recognized the voice as. . .

Temari's eyes practically popped open as she finally awoke. She stared up at Shikamaru, who had his same old 'Screw The World' expression on his face. "Are you okay? You looked like you were having a bad dream."

"Yeah." Temari mumbled under her breath, sitting up. "Bad dream." She shook her head and finally got it in her mind that Shikamaru had somehow ended up in the hospital room even though he had no idea she was here. "How did _you_ get here?"

Wow, the gossip spreads like wildfire in Konoha.

Shikamaru let out a heavy sigh and pulled up a conveniently placed chair in the corner. "The Hokage told me that I had another mission. She gave me all the details about why you're here and told me to go to the hospital incase you go insane." he sighed again, but resisted the temptation to mumble 'what a drag. . .'

Temari's eyes widened slightly. "Oh. So then, you must know about. . ." she protectively grabbed the pillow and placed it over her stomach.

"Yeah, yeah." he waved it off. She loved that about Shikamaru. . . to an extent. "Itachi's baby, lost your memories. What a drag that must've been."

Some girls might've been offended that he shrugged those events off like they were nothing, but Temari was trying to forget them too, and that was the exact attitude she needed. "Yup. A drag." a new thought startled her. "You won't tell anyone will you?" she gasped. Nobody else really needed to know.

Yeah. Imagine Sasuke's disappointment.

"I won't tell. It's too much of a drag to tell anyone. Why don't you go back to sleep?" He leaned back in his chair.

Temari didn't want to go back to sleep. She knew she would have another nightmare about the Uchiha.That was currently out of the question. But she knew it would be hard to get Shikamaru to have a decent conversation with her.

"Thanks." Temari said out of the blue.

Shikamaru's left eye opened. "For what?"

"For agreeing not to tell anyone. At least there's somebody around who doesn't want to cause me any grief." for the first time in a while, Temari smiled a sincere smile.

"Women are so strange." Shikamaru mumbled to himself. "Causing you grief would be too much of a drag. Besides. . ." he went into thought, but only for a moment, "You'd want revenge."

Out of nowhere, Shikamaru felt himself being bear hugged by Temari. "You're so dense." she giggled. Temari overcame her sickness and had jumped out of her bed just to show her appreciation. Even Shikamaru would notice that.

From under the tall blonde, Shikamaru mumbled something barely audible to human ears. "You hug too tight. . ."

Whew. That chapter was a bit hard to get going, but I finally got to writing it and tried to give it that lighthearted mood. ;D Kiss, Kiss! Previews for the next chapter:

Temari's stomach had swollen a bit, so it was clear she had put on some weight, but she wasn't really that far into the pregnancy. And she hadn't even experienced the worst of it.

In a cold sweat, Temari sat straight up in her bed. Another frightening dream. They just wouldn't stop haunting her.

"Who's the father, Temari?" Gaara demanded. "I'll kill him. . ." he growled under his breath and glared out of the window. But Temari refused to inform Gaara. She couldn't take that risk of him leaving to find Itachi and getting killed. . . again.


	3. The Gossip Spreads

**Book Two: Unwanted Surprises**

**Chapter Three:  
The Gossip Spreads**

**Ah. -STRETCHES- I can't believe how sweet you guys are. :D I truly appreciate each and every fan and I'm sorry it took so long to update this blasted thing. Oo;; Between school, finals, vacations, and computer troubles, I finally sat down and I was like 'I gotta type this now!'**

**Anyways... sorry for that long Author's Note. Please Enjoy. This Chapter might not move as fast as number two.**

If you want me...  
Come and find me.

Now that Temari looked down, she could really see that, despite the morning sickness, she really had put on some weight. Now she kicked herself for not knowing what was causing this in the first place. It was so obvious!

Yeah. It's obvious now that you _know _you're pregnant.

So far, her only company had been Shikamaru and his friend Chouji. He would come over every once in a while with little fruits baskets and chips, and other little morsels of food that Temari appreciated.

The only thing was, she hadn't gotten any sleep the past two nights, and hated to think of what she'd have to deal with when Gaara came to Konoha. Shikamaru and Chouji promised to keep her pregnancy a secret, and while she trusted them both, the gossip in Konoha would not be on hold for long. Somebody was bound to notice sooner or later.

She looked over at Shikamaru, who was currently staring out at the clouds. Again. He'd been doing this all morning, and she wanted to know if there was anything else going on in his head besides the usual 'Why can't I be a cloud?' muse. Temari let out an exasperated sigh.

When Shikamaru didn't respond to her, Temari sighed again, making sure it was louder and longer than the first. Her 'bodyguard' looked over at her with dull brown eyes. "Can I help you?"

Temari clapped her hands together and smiled, knowing full well that Tsunade had told him to basically wait on her hand and foot while she was in bed. Sometimes being a little unstable at times was useful. "Actually, I'm quite bored and parched. I was wondering if you'd bring me a book and maybe some tea?" She said in a disgustingly sweet voice. She wasn't _that_ fond of tea, but if it gave him something else to do.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "And I suppose you'd also want me to run to the ramen shop and get you a bowl. And while I'm at it. . ." he had already stood up an was walking out the door, but continued on. "Let me go pick up a big bouquet of roses at Ino's flower shop. What a drag, clouds don't have to fetch books and tea for pregnant women." Temari thought his little rants were hilarious.

Shikamaru's head poked back into the room. "What kind of book?" he asked simply

"I'm kind of in the mood to catch up on my history. And some herbal tea would be delightful." she giggled as Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her, still mumbling about high maintenance women, the pregnant ones in particular.

Temari laid back onto her pillow. _This_ was the proper way to have a sick day: make sure to have a comfy bed and a friend to bother while you relaxed in a bed. It sure did beat having to sit in the rare grass patches in Suna while she burned her eyes looking at the sky.

It also _definitely _beat out being stuck in a strange building with strange men with strange motives.

Temari looked over at the little clock on the night stand in her hospital room. Shikamaru had already been gone a good 8 minutes. She had to give him some time, though. He was a natural born sloth. Still, she couldn't help but be just a little frustrated with him.

Suddenly, Chouji came bounding in the room, startling her slightly. He was holding a basket filled with little things like apples, pears, peaches, and. . . chicken? He walked over and placed it gently in her lap.

"My mom said you need lots of protein and fruit so that the baby can grow big and strong like me." he grinned, and Temari resisted the urge to let out another giggle. She wasn't hungry, so she simply but politely put the fruit/chicken basket aside. "Can I feel your tummy? Can I?" he asked curiously. "Please?"

"Uh. . ." Temari didn't really know what to say to this. "I guess so, but I don't think you'll feel anything moving around in there." Temari's stomach had swollen a bit, so it was clear she had put on some weight, but she wasn't really that far into the pregnancy.

. . .And she hadn't even experienced the worst of it. .

"Yay!" Chouji carefully reached forward, setting his right hand in the middle of the abdomen. They both waited in anticipation. "I think it just kicked!" he yelled, jerking his hand away slightly.

Temari raised an eyebrow. "I didn't feel anything." she told him.

"Are you sure? I think it's gonna be a boy! That was a pretty strong kick!' Chouji didn't notice the anger vein pop up on Temari's forehead.

"Are you saying girls can't kick?" Temari inquired.

A little sweatdrop formed on the back of Chouji's head. Whoops. "No, what I mean is. . . um. . . gee you look pretty today." he hoped that would save the day.

"Nice try. And let me tell you something. Girls and women _c_an kick ass just as much as men. Especially we hormonal pregnant ones, got that?" she put on an angry face, but she wasn't really mad.

"Scaring Chouji?" Shikamaru strolled in with a large hardback book and a cup of tea placed on top of it.

"Help." Chuoji managed to squeak.

Back at Tsunade's office, Naruto was sitting _somewhat_ patiently as he waited for Tsunade to assign him another mission. She flipped through little files, trying to remember which one in particular she wanted to assign him. "Which one's the biggest pain in the butt. . ." she mused.

See, kiddies, drinking is bad. Drinking makes you forget.

The both of them looked over at the door, which was almost knocked down. Gaara had violently entered, with Kankuro standing timidly behind him. Tsunade resisted the temptation to piss him off even further by asking 'Can I help you?' He was still foul-tempered.

"Gaara? What's wrong?" Naruto asked. "Why'd you break down the door?? Suna has to pay for that now, you know."

Gaara ignored him and stormed right up to the Hokage's desk. "Where is she?" he said as if he were giving a death sentence. "She needs to be in Suna with us. Temari will not stay here."

Tsunade stood up and tried to reason with the Kazekage. "Gaara, I realize that this isn't very pleasant for your family, but try to understand. Temari is unwillingly carrying a child of one of the greatest enemies of both Konoha and Suna. Not to mention, when she found out, she almost fell apart. She's recovering, but it's best she stay here where a more watchful eye can be placed on her."

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "She can be supervised in Suna."

"Whoa, hold up! Your sister's pregnant? Dude, who's the daddy?" Naruto piped up inappropriately.

"While that may be," Tsunade continued, ignoring Naruto, "We have very skilled medics over here. She's also good friends with one of the residents, who has agreed to keep an eye on her and protect her."

This worried Gaara even more, if that was possible. The only one she was friends with was that unreliable Shikamaru character. He had no idea what she saw in him. . . He couldn't protect her! "She's coming home, now!"

Tsunade stood her ground and stared intensely. "I'll lead you to the hospital on one condition. You have to let Temari decide."

"Fine." Gaara agreed, positive that Temari would choose to come home to Suna in a heartbeat.

"So anyways, we looked it the trunk and found out it a just a little mouse bouncing around to get out and _not_ a ghost!" Temari babbled to Shikamaru. She threw the book at his head that he fetched for her earlier. "Are you listening?!" she yelled at him.

But Shikamaru simply rubbed his head and pointed out the window. "Tsunade and Gaara are headed this way. Naruto's with them."

Sheets could be heard ruffling as Temari scrambled out of bed and over by the window. "You've got to be kidding me. . . " she breathed. Though she knew Gaara would find out much sooner than later.

They waited a bit, but Kankuro, Gaara, Naruto, and Tsunade were all in the hospital room. Tsunade's face was emotionless, Kankuro looked pretty scared, Gaara looked absolutely pissed off, and Naruto looked like he was trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Correction: He _was_ trying to figure out what the hell was going on. But he knew better than to speak up during Gaara's current mood.

"Kankuro told me the whole thing." Gaara spoke up, coldly. "Who's the father, Temari?" Gaara demanded. "I'll kill him. . ." he growled under his breath and glared out of the window. But Temari refused to inform Gaara. She couldn't take that risk of him leaving to find Itachi and getting killed. . . again.

"That's not important right now." Temari mumbled. "I'm alright, Gaara. Really." she nodded, but still looked very afraid of Gaara. He still hadn't learned to completely control his anger, though he had improved greatly over the past few months. The Kazekage would do anything to avenge his siblings.

"Remember what we came here for, Gaara-san." Tsunade spoke up carefully.

Glaring, but reluctantly turning toward Temari, he explained the little deal he made with the Hokage. "You can choose to stay here with your current. . . bodyguard." Though Gaara had no idea why she would have the preference of staying in Konoha with a lazy Chuunin. "Or you'll come back home to Suna." he seemed to linger on the word 'home' as if he was trying to convince his sister it truly was better over there.

Temari bit her lip and hesitated greatly before speaking. Everyone (save for Naruto) was waiting patiently for her answer. All eyes were focused on her and the pressure was immense. She knew Gaara would be deeply offended but. . .

"I'd like to stay here a little longer. I think I'm too far into the pregnancy to be traveling that great distance again." Though truthfully, Temari had her own personal reasons about why she would prefer to stay in Konoha. This was slightly true, and made for the best excuse in her opinion.

Gaara didn't say a word. Kankuro didn't dare speak, nor did anyone else in the room who had half a brain and a will to live. Even Naruto was silent. Slowly, Gaara turned around and did that eerie walk out of the room he used to do when he was Shukaku-possessed while Kankuro hesitantly walked behind him.

Just a moment later, Tsunade went with them.

And after all of these events were over, Naruto finally exploded with questions. "You're pregnant? And why are you in Konoha in the first place? Who the dad? Is it Shikamaru? I always knew you had a thing for him. . ."

Temari slapped Naruto upside the head before the blonde could continue. "For your _information_, Shikamaru is my bodyguard, Tsunade told me I was pregnant, and Itachi's the father—" Temari slapped her hands to her mouth upon informing him of that last little bit of information. "You can't tell anyone!" she grabbed his collar and shook violently. "Promise, promise, promise! _I _wasn't even supposed to tell you that!" 

"I promise!" Naruto yelled, a hint of mercy in his tone. "On one condition." he said once he was free. "You have to tell me what happened. I mean. . . _the_ Itachi? The Itachi _Uchiha_? Sasuke would kill you if he was here." Naruto shook his head.

"Why is that?" Temari asked him.

"Sasuke wanted to 'restore his clan'" Naruto used little air quotes to make his point. "_If_ you know what I mean. Wink, wink."

"I see. . ." Temari looked down, pondering once again on Itachi's motives. Something she was trying to forget.

And so, Naruto and Gaara were now aware of the news. Let's see how long the little blonde can keep his mouth shut about it.

It was another night filled with nightmares, nightmares, and more nightmares for poor Temari. She tossed and turned, tried to keep her mind off of him by reading and thinking of anything else but him, but in every dream she came face to face with him, waking up at the last second before he could have what he wanted—again. Was it just her vivid imagination, or was the Uchiha controlling these dreams? Sharingan didn't do that, did it? Of course not!

Temari thought. _Just one more time to try and sleep without dreaming of that creature_. . . 

And so, her head comfortably placed itself on the pillow and fell asleep to the soothing sound of the wind outside and Shikamaru's even breathing. Soon, she went into REM, which was the stage of sleeping where you could finally have dreams. . .

Temari found herself sitting below a large oak tree. Probably somewhere by the Akatsuki hideout, as one would guess. Instead of her usual outfit, or even the Akatsuki cloak which surprised even her, she was in a loose, flowy kimono with wisteria flowers as the pattern. The silk material was so comfortable, Temari gathered a little handful and caressed her cheek with it.

Slowly, she stood up. Which was a relief that she could actually move. This dream seemed to be an actual dream and not. . .

Not a nightmare.

But Temari was wary, and she looked around for the Uchiha. Once he showed up, it was certain things would go horribly wrong. Even the night was peaceful, and the stars were out, lighting the little wooded area.

Finally, something startled Temari enough to bring her guard up to its max. She quickly turned toward a little shrub planted by some saplings. And, yes, a figure emerged from the darkness. But something was wrong. In a good way.

This male was too short to be Itachi, and his eyes were brown. His hair was wore down, and not in the little pony tail at the nape of the neck Itachi had. For once, she was having some fortune. Shikamaru was definitely a sight for sore eyes in a dream after so many had revolved around Itachi.

"I've been looking for you everywhere. Your brother wants to know where you are." he let out a heavy sigh. "What a drag it was to search. I mean, all these bushes are prickly, and your brother is scary. I had to choose one."

Temari giggled. Especially when Shikamaru tripped and he had to rely on a girl to catch him, and he was one of the most sexist boys in Konoha. "Watch where you step." Temari smirked at him as he regained his balance and stood up. Now Temari noticed that she actually had to look up at him!

Their eyes locked. _Is it a drag, now? _She thought in her head, though something stopped her from saying it. Now was the perfect time to flirt, and she knew it! She moved her face slightly closer to his. "Well, Shikamaru? Is it a drag, now?"

While Shikamaru wasn't completely at a loss for words, he really didn't want to give answer, nor did he have time. Temari was right up in his face, and he knew she was about to kiss him.

Can anyone say 'Kodak Moment'?

It wasn't really a 'fireworks' kind of kiss, but both of them decided that it wasn't half bad either.

That is, until Temari got a funny feeling in the pit of her gut and opened her eyes to see who she was really kissing. With a gasp, she quickly separated her lips from Itachi Uchiha's. Unfortunately, he grabbed her wrists in time, bringing back more memories from the Akatsuki. "I'm surprised you didn't see right through that. I thought you were smarter than that, Temari."

There was another quality she disgusted. The way he said her name. "Why are you still taunting me? Haven't you had your fun?" she could finally struggle, squirm, kick, and scream at him, another relief.

"Oh no, Temari. I'm not even close to my share of fun. You should learn to enjoy my little visits. It would be a lot less _painful_ on you." he told her, squeezing her wrists on the word 'painful'. "Though I do get a kick out of watching your pitiful attempts to resist me. Just wait until the baby is born. Our baby." the smirk grew wider.

Temari led his hands (which were still clinging to her wrists), up to her face as gently as she could so as not to arouse any suspicions. When they were mere centimeters away, Temari bit down. Hard.

Itachi let out a little grunt and jerked his hand away. _Wench. _He thought. _She's still got a lot of fight in her. That should make things somewhat more enjoyable. _"Still trying to defy me, I see. That will change soon enough."

"Don't count on it." Temari spat. "I'm not afraid of you, Uchiha."

"That will change, Temari. Take my warning, it will happen _very_ soon." He waved a little goodbye. Almost as if he knew Temari was going to. . .

In a cold sweat, Temari sat straight up in her bed. Another frightening dream. They just wouldn't stop haunting her. However, she decided she was going to fight back with all her might. If the Uchiha wanted his way with her, he'd have to kill her. Something she knew he was not yet ready to do. Without another thought, she decided she didn't give a damn about the dreams any more.

As soon as Temari went back to sleep, no other dream haunted her that night.

Whoo! This was a LONG chapter and I stayed up super late trying to finish. Hope you enjoyed. Here's some previews for chapter four.

During this time, three males were up to something. Itachi Uchiha, Gaara, and. . . Naruto?

Temari's stomach was starting to turn into a watermelon. Not to mention the baby had what seemed like an amazing amount of stamina. The kicking, and flipping, and rolling was starting to get on her nerves!

Shikamaru refused to admit that he actually enjoyed being Temari's bodyguard.


	4. One Last Visit

**Book Two: Unwanted Surprises**

**Chapter Four:  
****One Last Visit**

**Prepare. In this chapter we have some lime-ish fanservice for Ita/Tem fans because the Tem/Shika** **stuff arrives a bit later. ;) Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**I'd like to thank everyone for your sweet reviews. I was actually surprised at how many favorites this got. :o Ack! Let's hope that no writer's block starts to kick in, 'cause the conclusion to Book Two is very, very close. **_http://naruto. adultfanfiction. net/story.php? no600093256&chapter5_ **Don't forget to remove all spaces.**

_Despite the lies that you're making,  
Your love is _Mine _for the taking._

Temari was worried about Gaara. Ever since she informed him that she was content in Konoha (which was a good five and a half months ago), he hadn't come back to visit. Sure he was the Kazekage, but he was also her little brother and it was only natural that you should visit a relative when they were in a hospital.

There was also a little fact that Temari didn't feel cooped up in Konoha. Tsunade had other things to tend to besides pregnant women, and didn't really mind when she roamed around Konoha. Gaara liked her to stay in one place so that he always knew just where she was. Shikamaru had to accompany her when she went out; which was quite often. Though Shikamaru definitely wasn't fond of elderly people giggling and whispering about 'teenage love' when they saw the 'couple' walking together.

Temari's stomach was starting to turn into a watermelon. Not to mention the baby had what seemed like an amazing amount of stamina. The kicking, and flipping, and rolling was starting to get on her nerves!

While Shikamaru was quite the pest when it came to complaining (pest is an understatement, he was the freaking _King_), he absolutely had to do almost everything Temari asked because it was part of his mission. She convinced him to go on a couple picnics for the hell of it, and she once tried to get him to cure a case of her hiccups by standing on his head. By laughing so hard, Temari said that the hiccups would go away, but she had to hold her breath because Shikamaru refused.

Despite not being able to convince him to stand on his head, Temari persuaded him into other things. They once went into the Yamanaka flower shop and Shikamaru came out smelling like a lovely meadow.

Now it was the evening, and Temari needed desperately to stretch her legs. Therefore, she decided to take Shikamaru for a walk. Unfortunately, he copped out by saying he was going to go over to the Hokage's office and inform her of Temari's progress and that Temari should stay in bed for the rest of the night, thinking she was going to obey him.

Yeah. . . right.

Temari was alone, the stars were out and it was a beautiful night. It reminded her of the one dream she dared to think about when Itachi disguised himself as Shikamaru and she could actually fight back. The Uchiha definitely _wasn't _playing fair when it came to the dream world. Because of the pretty evening, Temari wandered father than she intended, a fatal mistake without her bodyguard by her side. . .

During this time, three males were up to something. Itachi Uchiha, Gaara, and. . . Naruto? Itachi was on his way to Konoha with the original intention of doing a little spying. But now that she was on her own and at the outskirts of Konoha where nobody roamed, he was in for a delightful surprise. Gaara wanted Kankuro to find out who the father was from Temari, possibly Shikamaru, and bring the information back to him.

And Naruto was probably thinking of a way to scare Sakura or Iruka.

A swift, dark figure ran through the trees and he was closing in on Konoha. Rumor had it that a pretty blonde from Suna was sent there because she was pregnant with a baby whose father had powers beyond belief and happened to be a rival of both countries. People wondered what would happen to the child once it was born.

The figure smirked, thinking of the shock and rage on his little brother's face if he found out. It was a priceless image. Itachi prepared to use the Sharingan, only to find that he didn't have to. Standing on the outskirts of his old hometown was his prize, alone with no bodyguard as the rumors had also stated. Not that he really needed to worry about a bodyguard that he could take out in a matter of milliseconds, it was just that this made it all the more simple.

Itachi Uchiha stopped in his tracks and prepared to give Temari the honor of having a real life visitation from him before the baby was born.

"Shikamaru. . . what are you doin' here again?" Tsunade looked up at the Chuunin and hiccuped, another sure sign their irresponsible Hokage was drunk. . . again. She was also slurring her words.

"I'm here to talk about Temari's progress." he looked at Tsunade, who raised an eyebrow at him. Shikamaru sighed. "The pregnant blonde from Suna? Carrying Itachi's baby?" he explained in further detail, though he felt like he died a little inside by doing so.

"Oh, _that _one!" she grinned at him and leaned forward on the desk a bit. "How's she doin'?"

"Um. . . she's having less nightmares, no complications so far in the pregnancy, and she's quite active for a pregnant woman." _Though that last part is no vacation at the beach._ Shikamaru refused to admit himself that he actually enjoyed being Temari's bodyguard most of the time. He wasn't one for showing a lot of emotion. They only caused trouble.

"Yeah, that's good. That's—that's really awesome, Chouji!" she said, with a thumb up.

"I'm Shika. . . oh what's the point?" Shikamaru knew Tsunade had more than enough to drink tonight and made his way back to the hospital. . . where he _thought_ Temari was safe in bed instead of face-to-face with her current worst enemy.

Back to the 'loving' couple. Not really. . .

"Why did you come here?" Temari scowled and protectively covered her stomach with her arms.

"I came to visit my wife, of course." Itachi smirked as he toyed with the kunoichi. Without all of the hormones that came with pregnancy, she was easy enough to rile. And that made it all the more enjoyable.

"I'm _not_ your wife, you freak!" she retorted, once again making the mistake of backing into something. "You come near me. . . I'll scream!" she held one hand out, but she was careful to keep one over her swollen tummy.

"Oh really?" The Uchiha moved closer. "And who's around to hear you, Temari? The trees? Yes, scream all you'd like and the trees will come to your rescue." he taunted.

If only she'd brought her fan. . . She'd blow him away while he babbled on about trees.

With a side step, Temari began to move away from the tree, prepared to sprint with all her might. There was no way she was going down without a fight, just like always. But wasn't haunting her dreams good enough for him? Or were they simply a warning of his arrival?

"Didn't you miss me? No? Not even a little?" he stepped when she stepped, making sure she wasn't able to get away. Suddenly, in a flash, he was behind her, Itachi had his right arm around her waist, jerking her backward. She let out a little gasp when she lost her balance, and gulped when she realized she was this close to Itachi again. _No. . ._ "You know what I've been thinking about the most while you've been away? That alluring voice you used to use when you knew you were about to lose."

The Uchiha was still treating this whole situation like a game. But if Temari wanted to have a chance of winning, she was going to have to play, as well. "Oh, really. . ." she used that sexy tone he was talking about, hoping it would buy some time. She let out a malicious-sounding little chuckle. "Well, I have _no_ idea what you're talking about."

Temari wanted to be cautious. But that was not allowed in the game. It was like an unwritten rule. She hesitantly removed her arm from around her stomach, and with the other one she lifted up and wrapped her arms around Itachi's neck.

It was intimidating. Itachi's eyes were now Sharingan and they were centimeters from Temari's aqua-colored ones. She knew it was too late to change the plan, but she was really regretting being in the current position.

"Oh really." Itachi's frightening chuckle rivaled her own.

Correction, it was probably a hundred times worse than hers and would make even the most powerful ninja wet their pants. Fortunately Temari learned very quickly how to stand her ground against the Uchiha.

"That's the voice. That's right. Try to buy yourself some time. Make me think you've suddenly changed your mind and I'll let go. Isn't that right?" Temari tried not to wince at his warm breath on the back of her neck.

Now how the hell did he do that? He just saw right through her plan! But of course. . . this _was_ the infamous Itachi Uchiha. His specialty was seeing through illusions. Unfortunately for him, Temari refused to lose. Not tonight.

"Why would I want you to let go? What fun would that be, Uchiha?" Hopefully Itachi wouldn't suddenly pick up the ability to mind read. Although that seemed to be exactly what he was doing lately.

"No fun at all." Temari couldn't hide her emotions this time, knowing she was in over her head, and her eyes widened. The kunoichi had only dug herself deeper! "What's the matter? Yes, Temari you've already lost. Now give up your pathetic attempts. You're so predictable. Once you're aware that you've lost, you throw a fit, struggle, scream, and only make quite an annoying intention to delay everything. Come on, Temari. Surprise me. Fight back and show me you're not predictable."

Itachi had made a terrible mistake. . . by showing her how to win.

Without warning, Temari turned her head and crushed her lips to his, plotting her next move on pure impulse. She slowly slid her arms down his body, grabbed his wrists and cautiously moved his right arm away from her waist. Finally, Temari used all of her strength (because her life literally depended on it) and literally _tossed_ the Uchiha by flipping him over her shoulder, ducking down and thrusting her arms forward with all her might.

She ran as fast as her skinny legs would carry her body, both arms wrapped around the stomach instead of by her side to help her sprint. It slowed her down a great deal, but Temari didn't look back and hoped she would make it to Konoha in time. Or at least run into somebody.

Itachi was back on his feet and ready to play the game in to time. He put his hands out to catch his fall, made a 360 degree turn, and raced after Temari faster than the human eye could see.

Suddenly, Temari felt herself being tackled to the ground, and she could see the Konoha gates just beyond a couple more yards of trees. _No!_ She resisted yelling it out loud. Temari was swiftly turned onto her back and faced the Uchiha, who looked extremely excited due to the fact that he was actually caught off guard.

If she could just win this game, she'd get her revenge _after_ she had the baby. "Get off!" The Uchiha was now at a complete advantage, as his hands were firmly gripping her wrists, and his knee was lodged in between her legs, keeping her from kicking certain sensitive areas.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Itachi taunted, moving his face closer to hers.

"You'd better move. _Now_." Temari's voice was now vicious.

"No, I don't think I _want _to." With one simple movement, Itachi had Temari's hands under her back, one hand holding both wrists. She never understood how he did that. The hand that was now unoccupied was now tearing the material of her outfit up by her shoulder. Temari squirmed, but wondered why he would simply stop there when she was almost defenseless now. Not that she was complaining.

Itachi's face was now uncomfortably close to hers and he had that trademark smirk along with the sharingan visible. "I congratulate you on that little 'strategy' back there, but face it. You don't stand a chance. The sooner you admit that, the sooner we can move on from the games." Temari cringed at his definition of 'moving on'.

She flinched when his mouth moved down to her shoulder and he bit down painfully on her shoulder, causing flesh to tear. Then, the Uchiha pressed his forehead to hers. "Bring back any memories?"

There was one more plan Temari had up her sleeve. She prayed it wouldn't make things any worse, if that was possible. Slowly, Temari blinked and her face went completely blank.

Itachi would go completely crazy if she didn't respond to anything he did.

Suddenly, the Uchiha realized what was happening. He ripped the fabric on the other shoulder and thought about biting that one to see if she'd at least flinch again. Just as Temari had done earlier, he kissed her forcefully, trying to get anything out of the kunoichi.

Out of impulse, Itachi bit her lip, but Temari sat there with her blank expression. Her mouth didn't even open and he gave up on kissing her. With his left hand, he squeezed her wrists, and used his left knee to open her legs.

Itachi didn't and wouldn't believe this. He. Had. Lost.

Finally, Itachi released Temari's wrists and stood up, taking her with him by grabbing what was left of the collar. "Go back to Konoha." Itachi looked angry, but also like he was trying to contain it. He back her into a tree, a look of pure evil on his face. "When I come back, you'll regret it. I promise, by the time I get my revenge, you'll be begging for more or screaming at me to stop. Either way. . . you'll lose."

"You only say that because you know I've won this time. Now go back to your little Akatsuki. I'm sure they all miss you so much, now—" but Temari never got to finish, for she was interrupted by Itachi slamming his fist into the tree behind her.

"Go. Now." he glared, and Temari mocked him by stepping away slowly, turning her back on him, and walking at a snail's pace back to the Konoha gates.

When she looked back, Itachi was already gone. When she looked forward by the time she got to the gates, she could see Shikamaru searching frantically for her. . .

"_Why did you run away?" Shikamaru yelled. "I told you to stay in the hospit—what happened to your dress?"_

_It had been four months since Temari's last encounter with Itachi. And she was still pretty damn proud of herself._

"_Uh-oh. . ." Temari held her swollen stomach and felt a violent rush of water between her legs. "Get Tsunade! The baby's coming!" Temari screamed at Shikamaru, who was busy trying not to spaz out._


	5. Stillbirth

**Book Two: Unwanted Surprises**

**Chapter Five:  
****Stillbirth**

_Catch me  
__As I fall ._

"Shikamaru!" Temari almost cried tears of relief. He was actually _putting in some effort_ to look for her! Did that mean she wasn't as big a pain in the butt as he made her out to be? "I'm over here!"

Temari wanted to run, but she had already used up a significant amount of energy. Not to mention, the baby's movements were killing her. Apparently she didn't notice that all the ruckus effected it and the rolling, kicking, and flipping were starting back up again. She was probably concentrating too hard on beating Itachi at his own game to notice how much pain it actually caused. She gripped her stomach slightly.

Suddenly, Shikamaru stopped. He raised an eyebrow in concern, but didn't rush toward her. Actually, Temari was surprised he was even power walking to her. It was good enough for her.

Finally, when the both of them met up, Shikamaru became as frantic as someone of his easy-going nature could become. "Why did you run away?" Shikamaru yelled. "I told you to stay in the hospit—what happened to your dress?" he noticed the lavender colored material was torn to shreds by her shoulders.

"Oh, that." Temari wanted to pull the sleeves up, but the Uchiha was rough tonight, and had completely ripped it and flung it aside like it was paper. "I'd rather not talk about it." And more than likely, Shikamaru didn't want to hear about it.

"Look," Shikamaru sighed, "Maybe you shouldn't be by yourself at all. Especially at night. Perhaps you shouldn't go out after dark at all." he suggested.

Temari felt little tears at the corners of her eyes, but they weren't threatening to fall–yet. "I can't help it if the psycho haunts me! I just can't make the memories go away!" she yelled at the Chuunin.

"You can't?" Shikamaru looked down, "Or you won't?"

The realization hit Temari. Sure it was hard to just put something like that aside, but during the time she had been home and the sickness wasn't haunting her, she still felt her mind linger on Itachi. By then the thoughts consisting of 'That bastard will pay big time' or 'The Uchiha is the most despicable creature on the planet' almost never returned.

Instead, Temari would lie awake till the earliest hours in the morning wondering, 'Why me? Did he plan it all to turn out that way?'. The Sharingan intrigued her greatly and she would often question its origins. In the back of her mind, she found the crimson mixed with the black pinwheels was quite an attractive and alluring feature. She'd stare into space for hours, imagining only the Uchiha's face, Sharingan activated.

More often that she would have preferred, Temari questioned the Uchiha's motives. Along with this, she found herself extremely curious about his past. After all, she revealed her worst fears to him, but hardly knew anything about him beside the fact that he was a sarcastic, anti-social bastard in the Akatsuki. But why was he there? What did he fear, _if_ he even had a fear.

_Face it_. Temari thought to herself. _There's an undeniable attraction there._ _Definitely not a healthy one, but it's there. But. . . I like–! _She looked up to Shikamaru, who was walking toward the village.

"Wait up!" she called to him. And he did. "Look, I just keep having these weird dreams. And I get really curious. I know I need to let go, but. . . I just have to admit. . . he intrigues me." Temari gave a sheepish shrug.

"I guess that makes sense. But isn't it a drag to not be able to just forget him? Just because he. . . why does he 'intrigue' you, anyway?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Why wouldn't he? I think about _everything_!" Temari blurted out without a second thought. "His eyes, motives, infatuation with sadistic games, his body–oops!" Temari knew she had said too much. She didn't really mean it like _that_, but Shikamaru wouldn't know.

But he didn't seem to notice. "Do you think he's already planned his future?" Shikamaru asked her, looking up at the stars. "Like. . . what he's going to do so that he'll be satisfied with life?" he thought about his own future plan.

"Well, I pity him somewhat." Temari told him. "I don't think he'll ever be fully satisfied. Then again. . . are you ever truly happy? Does anybody ever reach every long-term goal they set? No matter how simple it may seem?"

Shikamaru remembered back when he'd been fighting Temari in the Chuunin exams. When he stared up at the clouds and thought about how out of character it was for him since he actually worked toward marrying a girl who was neither beautiful or ugly, having a boy and a girl, and dying old together. He knew Temari was a possible candidate for being his wife, but she was too spunky, and she would want way more excitement than he could offer. They just. . . weren't meant to be.

By now, they were so involved in the topic they had stumbled upon, that they were lying in the grass. Luckily, it was a warm night. The both of them had summer clothes on their backs. However, fall was quickly approaching.

"Hey." Temari piped up. "Did you ever think of me when I was in Suna? You know, about that battle that you gave up, or that time I saved your ass?"

Temari could be so frustrating. But what was he going to tell her? That he _did_ think about her? That he once secretly fantasized about trapping her in the Shadow Possession Jutsu, then slowly climbing on top of her before freeing her? "I sometimes wished you weren't so spunky and energetic." he said simply.

"Oh really? Is that because you want me to marry you one day? And if I weren't so spunky and energetic, you wouldn't have as much to deal with?" Temari teased.

"No. 'Cause I have to be your body guard for another four months, and even though you're pregnant, you still run around like you haven't gained an extra thirty pounds."

An anger throb appeared on Temari's temple. "You idiot! Don't you know you're not supposed to mention a woman's weight to her? No wonder you've never had a girlfriend! Hmph!" she angrily crossed her arms and rolled onto her side so as not to face him.

"I didn't mean it like that. Geez, you've got a baby in there. You'd have to gain weight sooner or later or the baby wouldn't be alive."

No sooner than he said this, Temari felt the baby rolling and kicking again, as though he not only heard, but actually understood what Shikamaru was saying. God, this pain was almost unbearable. Didn't this baby ever get tired? Or even the slightest bit dizzy from it all? "Let's go back. . ." Temari pleaded, clutching her stomach.

Shikamaru didn't have a problem with that. He gently helped her up and made sure she made it to the hospital in one piece.

The next day, Temari felt eerie. During the night she woke up to more thrashing in her belly. For sure, it was one of the most painful experiences of her entire life. It caused _her_ to toss and turn and for what seemed like hours, she moaned in pain. Finally, it all just stopped. After it was all over, Temari should have been relieved that it had all stopped, but she started panicking. The stop was so abrupt, she almost had an attack, wondering if something happened to the baby.

Whether or not a psycho was the father, Temari herself was not heartless. Her motherly instincts kicked in at once and she only thought about the baby. First thing in the morning, she needed to know every detail of what was going on inside of her, and decided she needed to ask a Hyuuga.

At this particular moment in time, she was standing in Tsunade's office, waiting for Neji to show up. Hinata was most definitely Tsunade's first choice, but she was off training somewhere with a certain kyuubi-possessed idiot. She didn't know Neji as well, but was certain he had somewhat of an attitude. Well, so did she, and she didn't feel like arguing with the Hyuuga with a disposition.

_Just don't say anything that'll offend him, no matter what he says to you. It's not worth it, Temari. _She thought to herself, though she was sure to snap at the first insult.

God, it sucked to have an outspoken personality sometimes. . .

Temari was afraid of what Neji would see. Since last night, nothing seemed to be going on in her stomach. However, she was in denial and refused to believe anything serious had actually happened. This was _Itachi's _baby. No way it would have died in the womb.

Finally, Neji and Shikamaru had arrived, an emotionless expression plastered both of their faces. Wow, the walk to the Hokage's office must've been exciting as all hell.

"Ah, Neji, you're here." Tsunade smiled at him. "Did Shikamaru explain what you're supposed to do?"

"You want me to check on her baby." Neji pointed out, completely ignoring Temari and acting as though she wasn't in the room.

_You'd better look at my baby and nothing else. _Temari glared at him. One more reason she would have preferred Hinata. Neji didn't seem like the perverted type, but it was hard to trust anyone at this point. Even Shikamaru was once really Itachi in disguise.

Temari carefully leaned against the wall and watched Neji make a hand sign before activating the Byakugan.

As Neji stared intently at her stomach, Temari tried not to squirm. She really would feel a lot better if Hinata was the one doing this.

After a while, Neji finally started speaking. "There are two of them. Both quite small." he informed them. "I'm pretty sure the one on the left is a girl and the one on the right is a boy. The boy looks peaceful. . . but the girl is shaking. At least, that's what it looks like to me."

Great, as if one baby wouldn't be enough, Temari was lucky enough to get twins! And what was wrong with the girl? Neji didn't have any reason to lie to her, so she had to take his word for it.

"Anything else, Neji?" Tsunade asked.

"Nothing that I can see. It looks pretty normal, aside from the shaking the female is doing." Neji told her, though he seemed to be referring to Temari more than to Tsunade.

"Thank you, Neji."she nodded at the three of them.

And with that, they all slowly walked out of the Hokage's office.

Afterwards, Shikamaru thought it would cheer Temari up and suggested thye get ice cream. Temari solemnly nodded, thinking about the baby girl in her womb, shaking. Why was she shaking? Out of fear? Pain? Was she cold? She doubted it would comfort her, but Temari carefully placed her hands over one side of her tummy and slowly rubbed it. She wondered why she couldn't feel it. You'd think after all that kicking, she'd be extremely sensitive to the slightest movement, but Temari could feel nothing.

While Shikamaru went in to buy the ice cream, she sat on a bench outside of the store and watched the familiar ninja walk by. Over the months she spent here, she hardly saw anyone that didn't recognize her from the Chuunin exams. But the ones who actually participated and knew her would look down at her clearly pregnant belly and ask who the dad was. Luckily, the little rumor about she and Itachi hadn't spread just yet. She wondered if anyone would recognize any Uchiha features when they popped out.

Suddenly, she felt herself looking up and at the other side of the bench. She heard somebody coughing and assumed it was Shikamaru with their ice cream. God, he was such a slowpoke.

Instead, she was looking at someone vaguely familiar. He was obviously a jounin, for he was at the Chuunin exams talking to Naruto and Sakura, and she assumed he was their teacher. He had silver hair spiked to one side of his head, but most of his face was hidden by a mask and a forehead protector. He had a book in his hand titled 'Icha Icha Paradise', and a sly smile on his face.

How can you tell? His mouth is hidden!

Temari raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what he wanted. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Hi, Temari." he said in a gentle voice, looking back down at his book.

"Hm? How do you know my name?" she asked, slightly alarmed.

"Tsunade told me about your little predicament. Sakura and I are supposed to help with the delivery." he explained.

"Oh." Temari suddenly realized there was something wrong with this. "You're _male_!" she yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him. "And I _barely_ know you! I can't let _you_ help me! Is everybody in Konoha completely wacko? Wait. . . what's your name"

"Call me Kakashi. And I'm only kidding. I won't be helping. But Sakura and Kurenai will."

_But I hardly know both of those women. Hell, I hardly know Tsunade, but I sure as hell don't want Gaara or Shikamaru handling the delivery. _

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked Kakashi.

"I thought it might comfort you a bit. Seeing as you don't seem too happy to be delivering this baby." his voice had a slight sarcasm to it, and Temari wondered how much he knew.

"It's not my fault the father's a psycho." she muttered under her breath angrily.

"No. It's not." Kakashi solemnly shook his head, still reading his manga.

"You weren't supposed to hear that!" Temari shouted, causing a slight scene.

"Calm down. I overheard Tsunade talking to your brother about it. He's the Kazekage, right?" Temari nodded, and he continued. "I personally think all of the Uchihas are kind of strange. But Itachi is off the scale. I'm sure you've wondered why this has happened to you."

Temari scooted opposite Kakashi. "I don't really feel comfortable talking about this with you, you know. No offense."

"I understand completely." So Kakashi went back to his book and Temari simply look down at her feet and kept her hands protectively over where she thought the baby girl was.

Finally, Shikamaru came out with the ice cream and they were on their way to the hospital.

"Aren't you hungry?" Shikamaru looked at the strawberry ice cream, melting off the cone. "You're always hungry."

"Yeah. I'm just thinking." Temari replied.

"Thinking is a drag. Eat your ice cream." Shikamaru coaxed her.

Temari giggled at this. Only Shikamaru could make the phrase 'eat your ice cream' sound funny.

It had been four months since Temari's last encounter with Itachi. And she was still pretty damn proud of herself. Sometimes, though, she wondered if she was becoming as sadistic and psychotic as he was. As much as she seemingly hate the Uchiha, she fantasized about the 'games'.

But she no longer dreamed about the Uchiha.

She and Shikamaru were quite attached to each other, but he never kept her guessing. Somehow, Temari kind of liked fighting for her life with almost every minute she spent with the Akatsuki. The adrenaline rush was actually kind of a turn-on for her, and it was something a dangerous criminal could definitely provide.

However, she actually like Shikamaru as a person. He was somebody she could talk to about her troubles, lay her head on his shoulder, and tease. One night, Temari tried to cuddle with him, and mentally giggled when he completely tensed up. "What's the matter?" she had asked him in and innocent tone. Shikamaru simply shook his head, and surprisingly, relaxed, if only slightly.

Temari now knew she was due any day now. She also kept track of how many times the babies started kicking and flipping. In the past four months, she counted a total of seven times. It was like the two were battling in the womb.

Hold the phone. . . _were_ they?

But now, the pain caused by kicking and flipping in her stomach was about to pass. . . only to be replaced by the pain of going through labor.

Luckily, Temari was still in the hospital. She and Shikamaru were about to leave to venture on what was the millionth walk. And that's when it all started.

Contractions. Alarming, panic-influencing contractions. _Damn it. _Temari cursed in her head. _Labor can go to hell, I'd rather have these guys cut out. _

So, this meant the walk had to be cancelled. Temari told Shikamaru to go and find Tsunade, but he said she should wait until they weren't so far apart. While this irritated Temari a bit, it wasn't like she could go running to Tsunade herself. She'd rather stay here where she didn't have to give birth in the middle of the road.

"Uh-oh. . ." Temari held her swollen stomach and felt a violent rush of water between her legs. "Get Tsunade! The baby's coming!" Temari screamed at Shikamaru, who was busy trying not to spaz out. "What the hell are you waiting for, Shikamaru?" she wailed.

"Okay, I'll be right back! Whatever you do, don't have the baby while I'm gone! Go lay down on a bed! Man, this is such a drag!"

So now, Temari was all alone, having contractions, gripping the sheets on her bed, and biting her bottom lip so hard it would start to bleed.

After what seemed like hours, four females, and a Shikamaru rushed into the hospital room. "The baby's coming!" Temari shouted at all of them.

"Yes, I know. It's important that you don't panic." Tsunade explained in a gentle, yet firm voice. "I've delivered children before, so you're in good hands." she reassured. "Temari, you forgot to take off your panties." Tsunade pointed out. "You need to get them off right now!"

"Okay, that's my cue to get out of here." Shikamaru piped up.

However, Temari snatched his wrist. "YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME BY MYSELF!" she screamed.

"Oh, God, please let me go, this is such a drag. . ." Shikamaru covered his eyes and frantically shook his head.

Temari could still feel the children kicking, making the labor worse. "No! You stay RIGHT THERE!" Temari demanded, releasing his wrist and struggling to remove her panties.

"Okay, now put your knees up and spread your legs." Tsunade instructed.

"I need to get out of here." Shikamaru said in a frantic tone.

"You're staying mister, I've got nobody to help me through."

"Just let him go, Temari." Sakura told her. "Don't worry, Kurenai and I will help you get through this. Tsunade and Shizune will help you deliver the baby. Everything's going to be alright."

Temari would have argued, except for the fact that Shikamaru had already left, and she was in _no _position to be chasing after him. Therefore, she had to give in to their pleas.

"Push, Temari!" Tsunade told her. "And breathe! Don't forget to breathe and push!"

"I can't do this!" Temari cried. "I can't!"

"Yes you can!" Sakura patted her hand. "You have to."

"But there's _two_ of them." Temari sobbed.

"You'll be okay. Just push." Sakura comforted.

"You can't even _not_ think about it! You have to concentrate too damn hard on pushing the fucking baby out! Or in my case, _babies_! Just cut me open and pull them out!" Temari felt one of the babies kicking furiously, and another pushing out!

Sucks to be you.

Temari pushed as hard as she could, and to her surprise, the baby slipped out quite easily. Tsunade held her up and stared intently.

"Oh. My. God." she looked as though she were about to cry.

"What?! What's wrong with my baby!"

"She's not breathing! She's already. . ." Tsunade resisted breaking down in tears, and handed her to Shizune. "That means there's a chance the other one is. . ." she seemed to be unable to say the word 'dead'.

"No, it's alive! I felt it!" Temari felt terrible. Tears streamed down her face, but now from emotional pain.

"You're sure?" Temari could tell if Tsunade wondered if she was in denial. But she was sure she felt the other one kicking furiously just as the female slipped out of the womb. "Okay, Temari. Brace yourself. If this one's alive, you've only just begun."

_Temari couldn't help it. The child looked just like it's father, and seemed to act like it. He didn't cry. Tsunade wrapped him in a blanket and carefully handed him over to Temari so she could breast feed him. He stared at her, his expression telling her 'I won'. It wasn't paranoia. This child was smirking at her._

_It was finally time to head back to Suna. . . with her baby. She hoped Gaara wouldn't lose his temper and try anything._

_Before they went their separate ways, Kakashi lightly kissed the back of Temari's hand and wished her good luck, for her journey was just beginning. He seemed to understand more than anyone at the moment._

_It was not a hug. It was not an innocent peck. Temari got Shikamaru full on the lips, careful not to smother the baby in between the two of them._

**I'm so mean. Sorry for not updating for a while. Oo;; You know. . . vacation. The conclusion up next.** **And hey, I'm not totally evil. I gave you FOUR previews this time around.** **Well, I don't recall planning any Kaka/Tem in the series, he's just there to comfort her. Nothing's going on.**


	6. The Journey Home

**Book Two: Unwanted Surprises**

**Chapter Six:  
****The Journey Home**

_Watching Me. . .  
__Wanting me._

Yes. . . today was the day. Itachi could feel it in his blood. The Uchiha was very, very patient. He could wait for Temari to heal, the suspicion to dwindle down as well as her guard, and he would make his move. Oh, did he have quite a few plans for the blonde kunoichi. Never again would he allow her to enter that trance-like state and respond to nothing. Itachi looked out toward the horizon. . . his infatuation with the sand ninja was not healthy in any way; That's what made it so damn enjoyable.

Itachi was also aware that Temari had another love interest. How satisfying it would be to steal her away and make her his once more.

Not only this, but he had an heir as well. If only he could see the look on Sasuke's face about now. Would that increase Sasuke's rage and hate against him? Of course. Which is why the child was a bonus in this whole situation.

However, something struck Itachi. Would he be this obsessed once the kunoichi was in his grasp? Bound and defenseless? Temari usually provided a lot of excitement, and he only found it fair to give her a chance to fight back.

Too bad being 'fair' was most certainly _not_ in Itachi's nature. Her screaming and begging would be just as delightful as her fighting back. A smirk appeared on his face for the first time since he last visited Temari.

She would not win any more games. Itachi would make sure of that.

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"One last push. . ." Kurenai coaxed Temari.

Temari grunted, and finally, it was over. She was sure she didn't look very attractive at the moment, but she also didn't particularly care. At least this child was alive to see her. What surprised her, however, was the fact that she didn't hear the baby crying.

Something was wrong. . . _all_ babies were supposed to cry the minute they came out of the womb.

"He's. . . beautiful." Sakura cooed as she leaned over to see the little bundle. Shizune handed Tsunade a small blanket, allowing her to wrap the baby and keep him warm.

When she shifted her weight over to the left, Temari could finally see which parent the child looked like. She and the Uchiha were both pretty fortunate looking, so the baby could have looked like any of the two parents. Her jaw dropped. Temari couldn't help it. The child looked just like it's father, and seemed to act like it. He didn't cry. Tsunade wrapped him in the blanket and carefully handed him over to Temari so she could breast feed him. He stared at her, his expression telling her 'I won'. It wasn't paranoia. This child was smirking at her.

Temari quickly closed her eyes almost as tight as they could go. The second she opened them, she realized the child had a normal expression on his face.

Scratch that. . . for a newborn, it was still quite scary. He was looking into her eyes, head cocked to the side, calm yet interested. His gray eyes seemed to stare straight into her soul. The tiny male seemed to be in a trance.

By now, the other girls had left the room to give Temari some privacy. Tsunade probably went to get some water or something. "Alright. Let me unbutton my dress." she told the baby as though he understood every word; he probably did.

One by one, she undid the buttons and slipped her bra off one side. Since anyone could walk in at any time, she covered up with a small rag on the night stand beside her bed. Oh how she longed to sleep in her own room again. Carefully, she lifted the baby under the rag and waited for him to latch on.

And waited.

And waited.

"What are you waiting for?" she looked down impatiently and found him trying to scan his surroundings, confused by the rag she used to cover up her breast. Temari rolled her eyes and lifted him a little higher so he would understand what to do. Hunger finally overcame the curiosity of the rag and he latched on.

Temari really couldn't help looking at him. She wished he took after her instead. The fuzzy gray hair and emotionless onyx eyes were too much of a reminder, though the baby wasn't the one who manipulated her and took advantage of the loss of memories. She'd get over it.

Suddenly, the door burst open and she heard someone yelling, "Let me see the baby!" Naruto had burst in unexpectedly, making Temari glad she covered up. "Oh." Naruto suddenly felt awkward. Maybe he should've knocked.

Gee, ya think?

"We tried to stop him." another voice said. It was Shikamaru, standing next to a blushing Hinata in the doorway.

"S-sorry." she stammered. "I–we didn't realize you were. . ."

Temari held a hand up. "It's fine." The baby had stopped feeding anyway, due to the sudden disturbance caused by Naruto. She moved her arms and revealed him, careful not to have the rag slip off.

"He is _so_ cute!" Naruto squealed, in an almost girly tone. Then he stopped in his tracks. "Wow, he looks just like. . . well--" he was interrupted by a bash on the head from Shikamaru.

"Shut up, loudmouth! You are such a drag."

While the two argued, Hinata quietly walked over. "I-I think he's really. . . really cute." she said, quiet as a mouse.

Temari resisted the urge to ask, '_You_ want him?'.

"What's his name?"

This put Temari in thought. She hadn't even thought of a single name while she was pregnant. She was way to busy fantasizing and dreaming about the father and Shikamaru! She felt really horrible as she looked down at the boy. He was simply looking over at the two other males arguing.

"I haven't actually. . ." Temari replied sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders. "I should do that right now."

"Oh. . . I didn't mean to. . .Sorry." Hinata stuttered

"It's not your fault I forgot to name the baby."

"Well–um, I guess."

_This girl really needs to lighten up. She acts like someone's going to bite her head off any minute. _Temari thought. Well, now it was time to get down to business and name the child. But what? She mentally kicked herself for not even thinking of a possibility when she was pregnant. Let's face it, when you're dealing with nightmares, psycho fathers, boredom, sickness, perverted jounins, lazy bodyguards, angry brothers, and drunk Hokage's. . . you don't really have time to think of a name.

She thought back and tried to remember what names appealed to her. Itachi Jr., was most certainly out of the question. As was Gaara, Shikamaru _and_ Kankuro Jr. The name 'Sachi' was always a favorite of hers. . . but it sounded too much like the father's name. Not to mention, that name meant 'wish'. And this child didn't really resemble a 'wish'.

Naming a baby was hard work!

"Having trouble?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Yeah. I honestly didn't think it would be this hard."

"There. . . are a lot of names."

Temari nodded, concentrating on the child in her arms. He look sleepy, yet he was trying hard to concentrate on Naruto and Shikamaru. Until his attention turned to Hinata. Almost as if her were not only studying her, but analyzing everything, as well. This was one scary child. . .

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"I'm ready!" Temari called to Shikamaru, who was probably asleep in the waiting room of the hospital. Just a couple days after the baby was born, she felt ready to go back home and have a brand new attitude about being cooped up.

She lifted the knapsack and securely placed it on her shoulder so that it wouldn't fall. Then, she hoisted a little bundle up near her chest. Temari looked down at baby Rai to see how he was doing. Well, he looked the same as he did the last couple of days. Simply staring at everything and everyone as though he needed to know everything about them. Because she needed a simple name, she named her son Rai, on a whim.

Over the last couple of days, Temari found herself stumped. The baby did not wake her up in the middle of the night with endless crying, yet they communicated quite well. Temari always seemed to know what Rai wanted, whether it was milk, attention, or simply a diaper change. While this should have scared her, Temari was relieved at how low-maintenance he was. Yet, she couldn't help but shake off a scary feeling about this child.

Because she knew. . . sooner or later, this child would cause mayhem. And lots of it.

"We're going home." she explained simply to him.

Rai merely hiccuped in response and tugged at the blanket wrapped around him. Who knew a madman's baby could be so adorable?

Rai's fuzzy gray hair and big black eyes made him one of the cutest babies Temari had ever seen. She was just sorry she never got to see the female half, who might've been just as cute.

"Finally." Shikamaru sighed. "How long does it take a woman to pack?"

"For your information, since you're too lousy to offer to hold Rai, I had to pack with one hand, while making sure he was comfortable."

"He put you through nine months of hell, what's a minute or two away from mommy?" Shikamaru shrugged.

"You are such a typical male!" Temari pointed an accusing finger at him. "It's not his fault, it's Itachi's! And he's still my child, so I have to be the responsible one since the father is psychotic."

She suddenly stopped her rant when she heard a low humming sound. Rai was watching them. As though he knew what they were talking about. Temari made a mental note to put this baby down for a nap whenever she decided to talk about Itachi. She had the funny feeling Rai somehow, most likely by instinct, who Itachi Uchiha was. Scary.

"Well, let's go."

"Wait!" Temari stopped Shikamaru. "We have to check and see if I have enough for the trip!"

"You're going to be riding on a horse! It'll only take a few hours." Shikamaru protested. "What a drag."

Temari raised an eyebrow. "I have to make sure I have diapers, food, a couple blankets, and plenty of water."

Shikamaru did not hide his sigh. Temari giggled before nudging him and handing him the knapsack. Reluctantly, he rummaged through, while Temari told him one item at a time, what she needed.

Tsunade was kind enough to give Temari supplies, seeing as she was really in any position to buy them herself. Enough to last her the few days she was here after giving birth, and on the way home to Suna.

Finally. . . she was on her way back home for good. It had been almost a year since she had any peace. But she wondered; When she finally did make it back home, would all the chaos stopped? It wasn't likely. Gaara and Kankuro were probably still throwing fits, and she felt guilty for leaving them. Itachi had vowed revenge, and if Sasuke ever found out, Naruto informed her that he would go berserk. Probably killing both her and the baby in an insane state.

But Temari was going to put all of that behind for now. She needn't worry about the Uchiha for now, as he had probably forgotten all about her. Despite his efforts to find her, see her, and mentally frighten her, she knew deep down that the Akatsuki was his number one priority.

For now. . .

If he did ever catch her, she would just resist responding to anything he did. However, it terrorized her inside, knowing that strategy might _not_ work again. The one time she did use it, Itachi knew he didn't have a lot of time to spare, thus, could not waste any time. But if he did catch her again, he would have all the time in the world.

Plus, it wasn't like Temari not to respond. She was loud, outspoken, and a little demanding sometimes. Fighting back was just in her nature, and it seemed like Itachi absolutely loved it when she fought back, participating in his sadistic games. And though she would never admit it, she sometimes got a kick out of them, as well.

"Temari?" she heard a faint call for her. "Temari?"

Suddenly, Temari's eyes snapped open and she stared at Shikamaru. He was waving one hand in front of her teal eyes, while trying to hand the knapsack to her with the other. "I asked you if we had everything."

"Oh." Temari shook her head and rubbed her temple with her free hand. "Yes. Thank you, Shikamaru." she reached for the knapsack, but he pulled it away.

"You're looking a little woozy. Maybe I. . ." he hesitated greatly, letting out a huge sigh before continuing. "Maybe I should carry your stuff for you. And baby Rai." he added.

Temari knew this was not an opportunity to turn down. Shikamaru was _offering_ to carry her things for her. Maybe spending eight and a half months with a woman did him some good, after all! Carefully, she handed the baby to him. Rai looked up at Shikamaru, then back at Temari as if to say, 'You've got to be kidding me.'

Temari rolled her eyes at him. _He's not that bad. _She thought, as though the baby could read her mind.

And for the first time since she escaped from the Akatsuki, Temari was on her way home.

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"One last thing." Shikamaru had said when they left the hospital. "We'll get a bowl of ramen before you leave. To celebrate."

"Celebrate my leaving?" Temari raised an eyebrow.

"Sort of." Shikamaru shrugged, trying to hide to smirk on his face.

But Temari agreed. After all, these were the last few hours she was going to spend with Shikamaru before returning home.

As they walked, older couples pointed and giggled at Shikamaru carrying baby Rai and Temari's supplies. She couldn't help but stifle a little chuckle, herself. It was a pretty funny sight. The only thing he was missing was a little baby carrier to strap around his chest.

Soon, they arrived. Obviously, Naruto was there. "Hi guys! Are you two finally going on a date? It's about time!" he told them before slurping down his last bit of ramen and paying the bill. "Want me to stick around and have another bowl with you?" he asked them.

Simultaneously, they responded. Shikamaru simply shrugged, while Temari told him, "If you want to." To Naruto, it was an obvious invitation saying they _did _need company, and he felt obligated to sit with them.

After they ate, Naruto and Shikamaru started arguing about who-cares-what. Temari felt herself getting nauseous from all the different smells of the flavors. She needed fresh air. "I'll be outside" she told Shikamaru.

Lo and behold, she met up with the eccentric teacher of Naruto. He was casually leaning against a wall, reading his perverted books. When he caught her staring, he simply looked up at her and gave a friendly wave. "We meet again, I see."

"Um. . . yeah. I guess so. What a coincidence."

It felt awkward when he simply went back to reading. "Don't you have anything better to do than to read those?" she asked, frustrated.

"Not really." he responded.

Temari babbled on to him about how he should date someone instead of finding pleasure in the lives of fake characters.

Sound familiar, fellow readers?

Finally, Shikamaru came out with the baby just as Temari was finishing her rant. Kakashi looked over at the baby, who stared right back at him. He raised an eyebrow, and then looked to Temari, who was avoiding his stare.

Before they went their separate ways, Kakashi lightly kissed the back of Temari's hand and wished her good luck, for her journey was just beginning. He seemed to understand more than anyone at the moment. . .

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She and Shikamaru had reach the outskirts of Konoha. They were both contemplating the time they had spent together, reminiscing both the good and bad memories.

"You used to complain about how much tea I would drink." Temari giggled, poking him.

"That's because I know you sent me to get some just because you knew I had to wait on you hand and foot. But finally, the 'mission' is over. Now when everyone looks at my profile, they'll all know that I was once a bodyguard for a bossy pregnant woman." he said, sarcasm on every word.

"Yes, and you did _such_ a fantastic job at it." Temari replied, matching his sarcasm.

"I believe this is yours." Shikamaru told her, handing her the baby. At least he was nice enough to pack up the saddle for her.

Temari was slightly confused. She couldn't really go alone. What if she dropped the baby? What if the horse suddenly went out of control? Worst case scenario, Itachi would show up at her moment of weakness, kidnaping both her and Rai. Going alone was much to risky. "Aren't you going with me?"

"Actually, your brother agreed to come here and escort you home. He said he wouldn't mind the trip here and back as long as he got to see you."

Temari gulped. "Which brother?"

"The one with the puppet on his back. Kankuro, was it?"

She now sighed with relief. As much as she loved Gaara, Kankuro would be ten times better than traveling with a temperamental Kazekage. While carrying Itachi Uchiha's baby. . .

Now Temari felt extremely cheery. Her brother was coming to pick her up, coming all the way from the Land of Wind just to make sure she got home safely. It was finally time to head back to Suna. . . with her baby. She hoped Gaara wouldn't lose his temper and try anything.

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Temari saw Shikamaru try not to gag when Kankuro finally arrived. It took much too long for him to get to Konoha. Temari was extremely happy to see her little brother. Though she couldn't really say the same for Rai. Then again, that kid looked like he hated everyone. He merely tolerated them.

"Kankuro, I'm so glad you're finally here!" she shifted Rai to the side so his head wouldn't get caught in the bear hug. When it was finally over, she awkwardly introduced Kankuro to his nephew. "This. . . is Rai." she stated simply.

"He's very. . ." Kankuro searched for the right word to describe him that wouldn't offend Temari. "Observant." he finished uncomfortably, obviously noticing the child's intense stare. "Can I. . ." Awkward pause. "Hold him for you?" Kankuro asked cautiously.

Temari nodded, handing over the bundle. Rai, once again, stared up at Kankuro, unblinking. "I can't wait to go home." she sighed with great happiness. Konoha was all well and good, but she was so tired of worrying about when she'd have the baby, and little things. Like not being able to sleep in her own bed.

She had even forgotten about the Uchiha. For now. . .

Kankuro handed the baby back for a minute to make sure everything was nice and organized. Temari couldn't afford losing any supplies in the unforgiving desert of Suna.

"I guess. . ." she heard Shikamaru pipe up, "This is goodbye, Temari. For now." he stuck out his hand, expecting a handshake from her.

After all they went through together, Temari wasn't going to leave Konoha (and Shikamaru) if she knew later her only parting gift to him was a–a handshake! She moved closer and gave him the good-bye _she_ thought was appropriate. It was not a hug. It was not an innocent peck. Temari got Shikamaru full on the lips, careful not to smother the baby in between the two of them.

His eyes widened, while Kankuro pretended not to notice. When it was finally over, Shikamaru still had his hand up. To play along, Temari giggled and shook his hand before cheerily hopping onto the horse. "See ya later!"

"Girls. . . are such a drag." Shikamaru said, his thoughts still lingering on the kiss.

You know you liked it.

_Fin._

**At least. . . It's the end of Book Two: Unwanted Surprises. Does this mean an end to the previews? Well. . . it looks like another epilogue thingy happens to be handy at the moment:**

_Gaara looked at the child and realized he reminded him of somebody.  
__It was not Itachi.  
__Nor Temari.  
__But himself. He and Rai were two of a kind._


End file.
